The Tolgroggan access bridge has spanned the A30 near Zelah for 32 years but had to be replaced to accommodate a new dual carriageway under construction between Chiverton to Carland Cross
Principal contractor for the £330m project is Costain; Keltbray is the structures specialist on the project overseeing the bridge replacement.
Despite mist and mizzle, weather conditions and wind speeds remained suitable for the lifting operation and the new 137ft (42-metre) twin-beam overbridge was lifted into place on the afternoon of Saturday 18th February 2023 by a 650-tonne crawler crane supplied by Weldex. The new bridge weighs 275 tonnes.
This stretch of the A30 was closed for the operation but was able to be reopened by 2pm on Sunday – well ahead of the Monday morning deadline.
National Highways senior project manager Neil Winter said: “The operation went as planned and although the weather wasn’t the greatest, conditions were favourable and the preparation work paid dividends.
“It’s a key milestone for the project, and now that we have the new bridge in place we will be able to switch our attention to the other structures along the route.
“As part of the scheme, we’re building 13 new structures in all, both under and over the new A30, with one existing underbridge at Two Burrows, a short distance from Tolgroggan, being refurbished.”
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